Sean’s story

Sean’s journey to a new home at Monks Meadow

For Sean Elvin, buying a home began with a practical problem. He was renting a flat with the intention of buying it, but its short lease meant getting a mortgage was not possible. After talking through his options with those closest to him, Sean decided that a brand-new home would give him a better start. “I decided to go with a new property instead of a 30-year-old flat,” says Sean, who works as a taxi driver.

Sean already knew Monks Meadow well. He had lived only five minutes away and had spent around a year driving past the development on Monks House Lane, watching it take shape. Its location in Spalding made it the right choice for his life and work, so he did not feel the need to look elsewhere.

Shared Ownership offered a route into home ownership that was achievable without the deposit needed to buy outright. It also meant Sean could choose a modern home with the reassurance of a new-build warranty and a full flooring package, ready for him to make his own. “Shared Ownership is just right for me as I do not have enough of a deposit to buy outright,” Sean explains. “If I rented, it would be an older property. With Shared Ownership I get a new build with all the cover and perks.”

At Monks Meadow, a collection of two, three and four-bedroom Shared Ownership homes in Spalding, Sean reserved The Nene, a three-bedroom semi-detached home. His chosen plot felt like a good omen: the number matches both his former house number and his taxi number. “All good signs,” he says.

The reservation itself was a landmark moment. “I was so happy when I paid the fee and got an email to say it was all acceptable. If I’m honest, I had a nice beer to celebrate.”

Sean is now looking forward to turning the house into a home, decorating and furnishing it to suit him and his partner’s future together. He hopes Monks Meadow’s smaller setting will become a friendly community, and with a hoped-for completion date around Bonfire Night, he is already thinking ahead to a special first Christmas. “I’m looking forward to getting a new tree for Christmas and decorating with my family.”

So far, Sean says, the process has been simple and well supported, from his application and mortgage arrangements to day-to-day questions over WhatsApp. “Nothing is too much trouble, from first applying to the mortgage, even down to chatting on WhatsApp.”

For anyone considering Shared Ownership, his advice is clear: “Go for it. Homemade Homes and the mortgage people I went with will guide you through it step by step.”